Duel Jutsus & Chakra Disks
by DragonBallwriter22
Summary: A new threat has hit the streets of Domino City during Kaiba's tournament. He can't have that so what's going to happen when he calls in Shinobi from the hidden leaf village? Who knows...  sorry if the summary sucks...
1. Chapter 1

Tsunade stood in her office, eyes skimming over the letter. Her eyes narrowed at the signature, wondering who the heck this Seto Kaiba person was. A knock at her door pulled her out of her thoughts. Shizune stood in the doorway looking exasperated. "Lady Hokage I'm sorry. I can't find Kakashi anywhere. It's like he disappeared again-" she was cut off by a popping sound at the window. Tsunade turned to glare at the silver haired shinobi reclining lazily against her window.

He glanced at her with the one eye visible on his masked face. "I heard you were looking for me?" he drawled.

The Hokage blew up, "Kakashi! I told you to be here an hour ago!"

The copy-nin blinked. "Only an hour? Huh. Thought it was longer." he smiled at the red faced sannin before sobering. "So why did you call me?"

Tsunade sighed. "What do you know about Seto Kaiba?"

Kakashi looked at her, shock gracing his features. "The tycoon? Quite a bit... why?" his suspicion kicked into gear.

Tsunade grimaced. "He's asking for body guards, paid S-rank to get them. Now who is he?"

Kakashi closed his eyes and leaned back against the window again. "Seto Kaiba. CEO and shareholder of Kaiba Corp. an international business; one of the top duelists in the world and host of one of the biggest tournaments for the game; he lives in Domino City in Japan; he is quite intelligent and an orphan with his little brother, Mokuba; his signature card is Blue Eyes White Dragon. That's all I really know." Tsunade nodded before turning and sitting at her desk. She steepled her fingers, touching them to her lips. She looked over the biographies and photos of the people Kaiba wants protected littering her desk. She fingered the silver disk she had received with the package. A beeping sound came from the disk as she held it. An image popped up from it startling the sannin. A man wearing a white jacket with cold blue eyes and brown hair stared at her from the disk.

"You must be Tsunade. I am Seto Kaiba the man requesting your assistance. Against my better judgment, but of course Mokuba is...worried about mine and his other...friends...safety. I assume the money paid was sufficient?" Overcoming her shock the Hokage assured him it was before inquiring into the nature of Mokuba's worry.

Kaiba stiffened slightly before replying, "There have been some suspicious activity, as well as some threats against the other duelists. Some of these threats have come against those closest to duelists, Mokuba included. I don't want anything to happen to those under my tournament name. It would not be good for business or anything else for that matter. So will you help?"

Tsunade nodded once, "Yes we will help. However I do have some questions for you." Kaiba motioned for her to continue. "How would you like them to be protected? In order of strength, efficiency..."

"Actually by personality if possible. It is crucial that they trust each other and if they are similar in a lot of aspects they may be more willing to gave them that trust. Mokuba feels trust is essential in this deal." he sighed and shook his head at his brother's foolishness. Tsunade's eyebrows quirked before she nodded at him.

They ended the conversation and Tsunade turned to face Kakashi. "You thinking the same as me?" he grinned and nodded. "Call in the Konoha 12. They've got a new mission."

Tsunade was faced with the jounin faster than she would've thought. She scanned the group, noticing they weren't just standing with their squads. Sasuke Uchiha was standing of to the side in a low conversation with Neji Hyuuga and Shino Aburame; Sakura Haruno was laughing with Rock Lee and Kiba Inuzuka; Sai was in a deep discussion with Tenten; Ino Yamanaka was glancing at Kiba who returned the glances as she spoke with Hinata Hyuuga who stood quietly in the corner watching Naruto Uzumaki. The strange thing was watching Naruto stand against the door arms folded as he smiled softly at the other shinobi. Usually he'd be louder than Kiba, whose booming laugh echoed in the room. Tsunade smiled as she realized just how much Naruto had matured. She rid her head of those thoughts and called the jounin into a line.

"As you have probably guessed, you have been called here for a mission briefing. And yes, it is for all 11 of you. However you will be accompanied by another shinobi who is running a little behind. None of you will judge him, even if you don't particularly like him. He has wandered for a while, but has decided it would be in his best interest to help us and return home. He's on probation but is still-" Shizune knocked rapidly before entering.

"My lady, he just arrived. Should I bring him in?" Tsunade nodded. All of the jounin turned to see the new recruit and instantly a tension filled the air. Kabuto Yakushi had entered the room, glancing at the jounin apprehensively. The only person not glaring or staring harshly at him was surprisingly Naruto. He was merely looking at the newcomer. Sasuke glared quickly letting a lash of words string at the glasses-wearing medic.

"What are you doing here? You don't belong here _kisama." _His words were like ice and Kabuto noticeably flinched. Sakura whirled to face her sensei.

"Tsunade-shishou, you can't be serious! He was Orochimaru's right hand man and you're going to let him on this mission? I'm sorry but this doesn't seem like-"

"Sakura." The word was spoken softly by Naruto. His tone was reprimanding and Sakura couldn't help but stare at her blonde friend. The rest of the group glanced at him as he stepped forward. He stood right in front of Kabuto, whose gaze was lowered to the ground. Naruto spoke again; "Look at me Kabuto," the elder man complied. He wished he hadn't as soon as those cerulean eyes pierced his. Naruto continued to look at the man as he questioned, "Do you have any ill will towards this village?" Kabuto shook his head, "Are you making plans to sabotage this mission?" Again he shook his head. "Good. If I find out you were lying to me, I will make sure you do not see the light of day or feel the breath in your lungs again. Do you understand? This is my village, my home. I will not have it threatened." Kabuto gulped and stammered a measly 'yes sir.' Naruto backed away from him and turned again to Tsunade who grinned at him proudly. He noticed the strange looks he was receiving from his fellow shinobi as Kabuto stood next to him.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" they continued to stare, so he shrugged them off. "So Granny Tsunade, what's the mission? Come on tell me!" His eager self appeared and the group instantly relaxed, chuckling at his digression into childhood. She eyed him, noting the look of relief in his eyes.

"Well, there is no need to repeat myself so let's move on." She set the picture of Kaiba down for them all to see. "This is Seto Kaiba. He's the one requesting you as bodyguards."

Sakura interrupted, "Wait. Why would a multi-billionaire, shareholding CEO of the world's largest gaming company need to pay for our assistance?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her. "What? The hospital has been all but empty for almost 2 months. I've had plenty of time to read past the shinobi world." Everyone laughed slightly at her bluntness.

"To answer your question Sakura, someone has been threatening the duelists and those important to them. Your job is to befriend them and protect them at all costs. These people are dangerous and not afraid to do anything to succeed in their goals. You need to be as ruthless as they are. Now I've already assigned you to the person you will be protecting. And no Ino, you're not protecting Kaiba." Ino huffed and removed her hand from the picture she was reaching for. Tsunade sighed and shook her head, "Let's get on with this. Tenten, you will be protecting Ishizu Ishtar, Sai you have Marik Ishtar," with each name she handed the said shinobi with a biography and photo, "Neji you have Ryo Bakura, Ino you are with Mai Valentine, Kabuto you're protecting Maximillion Pegasus, Shino you'll be with Mokuba Kaiba, Hinata you're guarding Serenity Wheeler, Lee you have Tristan Taylor, Sakura you're with Téa Gardener, Kiba you will be protecting Joey Wheeler, Sasuke you're with Seto Kaiba and Naruto…" she glanced at him and held to the biography she was handing him, staring him in the eyes with a deeper meaning, "You have Yugi Muto, and I recommend you read his biography immediately and fill in the rest of the group on the double conditions." His eyebrows rose before he scanned the biography. His eyes narrowed and he stared back at Tsunade.

"Would you like them to know the…personal parts of it?" she nodded and he sighed, "I suppose I'll show them on the jet then."

Tsunade nodded, "Speaking of jets… Kakashi!" The copy-nin looked at her, offering a 'yo.' in response, "How long until the jet from Kaiba Corp. arrives?" Kakashi turned and peered at the sky out of the window.

"About half-an-hour. Give or take 10 minutes." He replied. Tsunade motioned for the group to leave and they all nodded.

"Excellent. Now that they're gone…" she reached into a hidden drawer in her desk and pulled out a bottle of sake, "Care for a drink Kakashi?"

An hour later, everyone was relaxing on the jet provided for them. They had all finished reading the biographies given to them and were soaking in the information- all except Naruto. He fidgeted in his seat every few minutes, quickly drawing the annoyance of Sasuke.

"Dobe, stop moving or I will not hesitate to knock you out," he hissed.

Naruto growled, "Easy for you to say teme. You're just protecting a stuck-up rich kid. My charge isn't so simple."

"Care to elaborate Naruto?" Neji inquired. Naruto sighed. He ran his hand through his hair and finally gazed back at the group.

"Alright, but this is gonna sound crazy, but it's also completely true. You know how I'm a jinchuuriki right?" the other shinobi all nodded. "Well this guy I'm protecting Yugi Muto? He has a similar situation, except that his is a pharaoh from ancient Egyptian times who locked his soul in a puzzle. Yugi solved it, so now the pharaoh's soul is residing in Yugi's body. They can switch control of the body at will or separate entirely. Rather like I can…" his voice trailed off towards the end. Sai peered at him, noticing the last part but knowing the others had not.

"Naruto, what do you mean 'rather like you can'?" he tilted his head to the side. Naruto sighed again.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice that actually." He took a deep breath before explaining, "I can control the nine-tailed fox as you guys probably know. Well, there's actually more to it than that. He and I are two separate people." The group looked at him like he was crazy. "You guys don't believe me do you." He stated, "Well then I guess I'll show you." He closed his blue eyes and began taking deep breaths.

_'Kyuubi? I need your help.'_

**'With what Kit?' **he heard Kyuubi ask.

_'Convincing them I'm not crazy. Ready to show?'_

**'Kit, I've only been waiting on you.' **He smirked. A blinding light filled the jet and the shinobi covered their eyes. When they looked back another man sat next to Naruto. His hair was slightly darker, and less wild. Both men had their eyes closed, but opened them simultaneously. The group gaped at the stranger's red eyes with black slits, knowing them to be the eyes of the demon. When the man smiled, his slightly larger fangs put a slight dent in his lower lip. He raised a hand to the group, waving it slightly.

His voice was slightly deeper as he spoke, "I am Kyuubi, the spirit of the nine-tailed fox. Don't worry I won't hurt you. Naruto would lock me up in the shadow prison if I tried and that is not a place I enjoy frequenting." He smiled again as Naruto chuckled. The group was in shock as they stared. Lee was the first to speak.

"Welcome Kyuubi! It is a pleasure to have you on this journey with us! I hope in time to consider you a good friend!" Naruto burst into laughter as Lee struck his 'nice-guy' pose, resulting in an uncomfortable look on Kyuubi's face.

"Err, thanks for that…" he replied. The group soon relaxed, treating Kyuubi as a friend and companion. He smiled and laughed as Naruto watched on.

_'Huh, seems like this isn't so bad after all. What was I afraid of?' _he thought.

Kyuubi locked eyes with him, having heard his thoughts, **'You were scared they wouldn't accept you. You feared their rejection.' **He laughed with the group at one of Kiba's jokes, **'They are your friends Kit. They will never leave you. That I can already tell.' **He smiled warmly at Naruto who nodded. He walked over to Sasuke and hauled him out of his lone seat. Despite his protests, Naruto sat him down between Kyuubi and himself.

"I wasn't gonna let you be lonely. I'm your friend. It's never gonna happen." he grinned goofily at Sasuke. "Face it. You're stuck with me teme." Sasuke smirked at him.

"Whatever you say. Dobe." Naruto laughed and everyone began to enjoy the flight to Japan, not knowing what was in store.


	2. Chapter 2

_By the way, since I didn't mention it last time; Kisama is a very disrespectful way of saying 'you' but on occasion (such as this one) it can be translated to any meaning of curse name… Sakura is just a bit polite…_

Joey Wheeler slammed his hands onto Kaiba's desk. His face was twisted with incredulity and he glared at the unflustered man before him.

"Whaddya mean you got us bodyguards? Ya think we're stupid o' somethin'?" Kaiba smirked.

"While your intelligence is in question, I merely did it on Mokuba's wishes. He doesn't wish to see you hurt. Although I don't see why." Kaiba rolled his eyes. Mokuba grinned at his brother and nodded. A sharp sound of static came from the intercom.

_"Mister Kaiba, you have visitors. They Say they're from Konoha. Would you like me to send them up?"_

Kaiba pressed the button, "Yes. Tell them to hurry Marci." He released the button and sat back. "Look, you don't have a choice. I will not have the Kaiba name smudged because of some lunatic's cravings for recognition. Not on this tournament." Joey pushed himself off of the desk, muttering under his breath. The rest of the people assigned with bodyguards stood around the spacious office.

Téa Gardener stood next to her fiancé, a sad look on her face. "But Kaiba, I have an audition the day before the tournament starts. What, do you expect me to take a bodyguard with me? You're crazy!" She turned into Yugi as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Actually it makes a lot of sense. I don't want you getting hurt. I love you, and if this keeps you safe than I'm going to insist on it. Do I have to get Pharaoh to convince you?" He smiled as Téa huffed and shook her head. "I thought so. Besides, maybe you'll actually get along with him." His face fell at the thought of a male guarding his fiancé. He shook his head, making his magenta, black and blonde hair waver. In the silence that followed, the door banged open.

"Ha! I win again Lee!" a masculine voice shouted.

"Make no mistake Kiba! That will be your last win against me!" a man they supposed was Lee shouted. He walked in with his black bowl haircut and bushy eyebrows, causing everyone in the room to stare. Following him was a man with short brown hair and red triangles decorating his cheeks. His canine teeth were slightly longer than normal and barred in a smile. The rest of the group filed in, taking various stances and positions around the room. Kaiba stared at them in masked confusion. The rest of the duelers stared at the strangely dressed… strangers.

"So, how do you want us to do this Mr. Kaiba sir? By the way, I'm Ino." purred a blonde haired girl, with a wink. Kaiba merely glared coldly at her. She rolled her eyes before looking at the seemingly sulky raven, "Gee Sasuke. He's more like you than we thought. Two completely sexy, unattached, available yet emotionally unreachable men together? Oh boy the world's going to end!" She threw her hands up, reveling in the laughter coming from the others. Sasuke let out a 'hn' noise before turning to Kaiba.

His black eyes bored into the CEO's as he questioned him, "Would you like us to go to our charges?" Kaiba smirked and nodded. Sasuke smirked back and sat on Kaiba's desk. The ninja all left to the people they were protecting. After introductions, everyone realized Yugi and a blonde haired man were conversing quietly, glancing around every few seconds.

"Hey, you men want to tell us what you're talking about?" Sakura and Téa said. Both men blushed as they turned to them.

"Naruto was just explaining that he has a similar situation to Pharaoh and me. He has another soul in him as well." Téa crossed her arms as if to say 'prove it'. Naruto shrugged and separated himself from Kyuubi. After his blinding light had faded another one occurred, resulting in four men. Two of them were slightly taller and more confident looking with smirks on, while the other two laughed at the dumbfounded expressions.

"We thought you were kidding about the personality thing!" Mai and Ino shouted. They looked at each other with a smile. Yugi, Naruto, Pharaoh and Kyuubi all shook their heads.

"Why would we lie about that? That's just stupid." Kyuubi chuckled, putting his arms behind his head.

"Not to mention pointless, as you would all find out about it eventually." Pharaoh smirked wider. The group eventually stood still looking at Kaiba. Eventually getting annoyed with the constant stares, he barked out an inquiry to the stares.

"Gosh, no need to get your panties in a twist. We just want to know why the heck these people are here, duh." Téa said with an eye-roll.

Sakura nodded, "Wow. If I didn't know any better I'd swear you and Mr. 'Must Kill Itachi' over there were separated twins. Fortunately, you're not. Imagine having both of them in Konoha… Shishou would shoot somebody." The group shivered at the thought of Tsunade's wrath, "But anyway. We were only given the most basic of details." She ran a hand through her short and shockingly bright pink hair. "So…what's up?"

Kaiba stared at her icily, "Does that really matter? I paid you did I not? That should be all you are concerned with." Everyone in the room froze. The shinobi glanced at the girl they called 'cherry blossom'. Her apple green eyes narrowed as she slowly stalked toward the CEO. The stoic Uchiha let out an uncharacteristic chuckle before glancing at Kaiba.

"That was probably a mistake." Noting the raised eyebrow of Kaiba and the sheer fury of Sakura, he continued, "She may look weak and incapable of hurting anything, but she can pack a punch. Trust me, I'd know." He rubbed his jaw, remembering his first week back after his sentencing.

Kaiba scoffed, "I can handle a little girl." He watched as the smug man in front of him blanched and darted away. His confusion was answered as an infuriated shriek reached his ears. He turned his head towards the sound, and found himself shoved into his chair against the wall with a knife like object pressing against his throat and an irate woman leaning over him. Her viridian eyes were cold as steel, but burned with fury.

She hissed out, "Look. YOU are the one who requested us, YOU are the man who paid for our help, and YOU are the man who is responsible for the lives of these people. Now you can either willingly help me do my job, or I can manipulate you for many painful hours until you tell me. I'm a medical ninja. Pressure points and immense pain are just a part of my job. Understood?" he kept his gaze harsh but inside his heart was raging at the power of this woman. He nodded minutely once and she smiled in satisfaction. "Good, now I'm going to get up and pull my kunai back. When I get back to standing next to my charge, you better spill every little detail you know. You don't, and I can't guarantee your safety." She stood and turned on her heel. She flipped her hair out of her eyes and sauntered off towards a grinning Téa. He stood and walked over to the man protecting him.

"Is she always like that?" he whispered.

The man smirked, "Yeah. Has been for a while now. I'm Sasuke. Just so you know." Kaiba nodded, figuring he already knew who he was. He was about to ask for the rest of the names when the sound of a throat clearing reached him. He turned to see the pinkette with a smirk on her face as she gracefully arched an eyebrow. He sighed and sat down at his desk.

"There is a new group of duelists attempting to take over the dueling world. They go around, dueling with any person who gets in their way and they seem to be preparing for a duel with our best, most likely either myself or-" he swallowed the disgust crawling up his throat, "Yugi. Now they call themselves Ikustaka and are a formidable group."

A man with white eyes spoke up, "Would you spell that out?" He received funny looks but ignored them as he committed the letters to memory. He spoke again, "This group wouldn't happen to consist of 10 members would it?" Kaiba looked mildly surprised and nodded. "One person they refer to as 'Leader'?" another nod.

Tenten, the girl with the buns, quickly picked up on his thinking, "Is it mostly men with a female member who is the Leader's partner?"

Kaiba's little brother Mokuba stood up, "No actually. The members are all female with one male member who travels with the Leader...but you were close. How did you know?"

The slightly shy girl with pearly eyes like the white-eyed man spoke, "I think we may have a similar problem. Is there a blonde girl who is rather loud and things the 'art of a duel' is in a single moment?" Kaiba flicked his glance to her while nodding.

The white-haired man muttered, "And a seemingly calm girl who uses puppet cards? Or cards that allow her to use cards like puppets?" the business tycoon nodded.

A man with absolutely no expression commented next, "What about a bipolar girl with a preference for plants?" he received a nod.

"Two guys who use non youthful cards! One a medicinal type user and the other strictly violence?" The guy with the bowl cut looked worried.

"A girl who likes fish and has an attachment to shark and water cards?" from the man with opaque glasses.  
"A childish girl with a dark side like none you've seen before?" Sakura smirked.

The next voice was a quiet one from Naruto, "And an emotionless girl who is willing to do anything to protect her sibling, including defeating her own family?" Kaiba watched Sasuke stiffen, but nodded.

"The guy is great at origami and likes seemingly useless monsters that actually can kick your butt? The leader has some sort of intolerance for people who were well off and has some name that sounds like pain?" Ino laughed.

"Her name is actually Terra… seems like you know more about this than you let on." Kaiba narrowed his eyes. The dog-like man laughed and shook his head. He smirked at Kaiba and motioned for Naruto to take the floor, muttering something that sounded like "you have no idea…"

Naruto stepped forward, "If you take the letters in this groups name and reverse them, you get Akatsuki." Kaiba gave him a look that seemed to say 'get on with it' and Naruto sighed. He rubbed his face before continuing, "The Akatsuki is a group of the highest ranked criminal shinobi in the shinobi land. I have one more question for you before I tell you the rest. Do they seem to be targeting any valuable items that could help in their quest?" Kaiba thought for a minute but it was Yugi who answered.

"Kaiba, they've been targeting Millennium Item holders." Kaiba's eyes widened microscopically.

"Well then this could be a problem." Naruto sighed, "It seems that this is more than coincidence." He turned to face the group of people as a whole.

"Get ready guys. Seems The Akatsuki may be coming to Domino City."

_Well, that turned out a bit differently than I was planning…oh well! It works. Stopping there is a great set up for next chapter. Did you guys like the twist? Read and Review! Send me a message if there was anything you didn't like or things I could work on! Thank you!_


	3. Chapter 3

The room was silent as the shinobi all cursed in their heads. They all glared at the floor, leaving the others to wonder what was so wrong about this group of people. Sasuke was the first to speak, "Well there are not that many members left. Itachi is dead, by my hand along with Madara. And Naruto saw Nagato, die did he not?"

"Your right Sasuke, and Shikamaru killed Hidan and Kakuzu; Konan separated herself from them and leads Ame now. Sakura killed the puppet master Sasori, Deidara was killed by Kakashi, and Zetsu disappeared off the face of the earth. The only one we don't know what happened to was Kisame, but last I checked, Suigetsu had killed him for Samehada." Naruto supplied. He rubbed his chin in thought when Kyuubi inserted his voice.

"You seem to be forgetting about the resurrection jutsu. We don't know what happened to the resurrected bodies. Most of them have their souls again because of Madara's certain adjustments." Sakura sighed after that statement. Kaiba narrowed his eyes, getting the gist of what was going on.

"So correct me if I'm wrong, but all of the Akatsuki may be alive?" Serenity input. Hinata nodded to her. The group fell silent again, giving Mai a chance to check out what everyone was wearing. She frowned at the odd choices, noting how some of the men dressed like girls… She cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but all of you need new clothes. You look like crazy people." At the confused looks she sighed, "Let's put it this way. Most men don't dress like girls. Or have a huge dog around with them, or wear track suits and vests. And for heaven's sake who on earth carries a katana with them? Certainly no one normal which is kinda the point isn't it?" Everyone blinked at her excellent perception. Ino nodded with her.

"She has a point. Which means only one thing; Kaiba you're gonna want to give us your wallet." Ino grinned widely with Mai.

"We're going SHOPPING!" everyone in the room adopted a look of horror at the two fashion queens. Neji and Ryou leaned toward Tenten and Ishizu.

"Is Mai a scary shopper?" Tenten asked. Ishizu gave her a look before motioning to her outfit. Tenten glanced at it and shuddered. "She's exactly like Ino. I refuse to let her choose my outfit." She folded her arms and Ishizu laughed.

"This is going to be a nightmare isn't it?" Ryou whispered. Neji glanced at him.

"I have a feeling that the torture is only beginning." He replied, matching Ryou's groan. Mai and Ino sauntered over to Kaiba.

"So, are you going to give us some money or what? You wouldn't want these people to be conspicuous would you?" they smirked knowing they had him caught. He sighed and handed over his wallet.

"You make this company bankrupt and I will sue you for everything you own." He warned.

Sasuke smirked, "And you know Tsunade will have your head for it Ino." The two girls pouted. Grumbling they shuffled out the door with everyone except Sasuke and Kaiba behind them. Kaiba turned to his protector.

"I take it you don't want to go shopping?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "Come, I think I may have clothes to fit you. Follow me." He stood and walked towards his room in the office for when he slept over. Sasuke walked after him, shaking his head.

_What an insane mission we've got ourselves into, _he thought. He rid himself of those thoughts as he saw the 'closet' Kaiba had. _Crap, it's even bigger than Ino's…_ that was his last thought as he was dragged into the mass of clothes by a smirking CEO….

Several hours later, the entire group trudged back to Kaiba Corp. They looked exactly like regular people taking a walk downtown. Every one stared at the group, shocked by the sheer size and gorgeousness of the people in it. Ino and Mai blabbered on and on all the way back, missing the glares they received from the guys.

"Man, I never want to have to do that again. I thought Ino was bad, but add Mai into the mix and you're in for a crude death," Naruto complained. He put his hands into his jean pockets, and looked at his teammates. The girls, except for Ino, looked uncomfortable wearing the short skirts and tight shirts. They finally stopped as Sakura hauled the girls into the nearest restaurant, planning on putting jeans on instead. Naruto laughed at her mortification and felt Neji smirk next to him.

"Aren't you glad were guys Neji?" the Hyuuga laughed and agreed. Ino glared at them.

"You know I could force you into a skirt. Neji could probably pull it off." He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Hinata heard the comment and looked at Ino.

"No he couldn't, he'd be much too bad tempered and looks too manly even with his hair. No offence cousin." She smiled at him and he replied in kind. The rest of the girls soon came out wearing jeans and they continued to walk back to Kaiba Corp. After reaching the building they laboriously climbed the stairs, reaching for the door handle only to hear-

"I AM NOT WEARING THAT!"

"Well it's the only thing I have that fits you. You are the one who didn't want to go shopping."

"I look like an idiot."

"Thank you for stating what you think of my clothes." The group exchanged glances walking in. There stood Kaiba in the same white coat smirking at a furious Uchiha. The raven was switching his glares between the CEO and the mirror he was standing at. His usual attire was replaced with black slacks and a white button up shirt and tie. The shirt was tucked in, immediately causing Mai and Ino to frown. Sighing they walked over to him and grabbed at his clothes. Ignoring his protests they un-tucked his shirt and drew off his tie. They undid the top buttons and grabbed a blue blazer and threw it onto him, popping the collar. They grabbed the Uchiha necklace of his father's from inside his bag and put it on him. They messed up his hair a bit and stood back.

"Perfect." They smiled. He looked hotter than usual. Everyone stood there and Naruto whistled.

"Teme, if I was into guys I think I'd date you." All the girls giggled as Sasuke glared at his smiling friend.

"You say something like that again, I will kill you dobe." Sasuke hissed. The group continued talking into the night, apprehensive about the coming danger, but not knowing how soon it would come.

In the shinobi world, a group of people stood on a cliff. The water crashed against the rocks, throwing spray into their eyes. They blended in with the night, only the red clouds on the cloaks visible in the night. It was obvious they deferred to the man looking up at the sky, a sadistic smile hidden behind his mask.

"We move at dawn. Deidara, you're bird shall get us to Japan, understood?" he rasped.

"Of course Madara. It'll be ready for us, yeah." The blonde stated.

"Good." He lowered his voice so they couldn't hear it, "Watch out little kiddies. This war is far from over." He led the group away from the cliff not noticing his relative staring across the sea.

"Sorry Sasuke. I cannot save you this time. Maybe… next time." He whispered to the wind, turning away and following the man who owned his soul into the darkness.

_I am so sorry this is so late! I meant to update a while ago, but school is a pain in the butt. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to get another out in a couple weeks. Read and Review! I love your comments!_


	4. Chapter 4

The sun rose just over the horizon a few days after the arrival of most of the Konoha 12. The pearl-eyed boy stood from where he was sleeping and slipped onto the roof of the building. He stared at the rising sun, calmly contemplating what they were going to do about the arrival of the Akatsuki. The odds were dreary at all angles, especially considering the liability of the people who not only were inept to fight, but inept to even duel. He sighed at the troublesomeness and smirked at the thought of them actually needing Shikamaru Nara, the laziest man alive. Unfortunately he was on rocky terms with Tsunade for not getting his work done, hence the village watch. He barely glanced over at Tenten as she took a seat next to him. They were silent for a minute, both watching to slow progress of the sun.  
Finally, Tenten broke the silence, "What's troubling you Neji? You've seemed a bit off since we got the mission." He sensed her concern but kept silent. She watched his face for any sign of emotion. When none was given she sighed, "Well you can always talk to me, remember that alright?" he merely stared on and she soon crawled back into the house as the Ishtar siblings chose to arise. Neji came in not too long after Tenten.  
"Malik, when does the tournament start? And where is your guard?" he briskly inquired.  
Malik shrugged, "I have no idea where Sai went…and the tournament doesn't start 'til 10. We have to report at 8 though."  
Tenten raised an eyebrow, "Why so early if the tournament is that late?"  
Ishizu answered, "Because Seto Kaiba is, as Joey puts it 'a cold-hearted jerk with a stick up his crack'. My apologies if that offends you. Joey is a bit- vulgar."  
"It's alright, "she laughed, "We have a friend back home who can be like that...as well as a criminal who can cuss up a storm. It was somewhat impressive how many words he could fit into a single sentence..." she mused. Ishizu let out a small smile as both men rolled their eyes. Sai filed in not to long afterward with Ryo trailing him. Soon the group was heading off to meet the others, and attempting to gather information.  
"Do either of you know anything about the threats?" Neji was dead set on business.  
"No. Kaiba refuses to tell us. He says it is for our own good. It's rather annoying since it's my life in the balance," Ryo grumbled.  
"Well Mokuba was a bit more helpful. Still, the only thing he said he could tell me was that the threats were rather violent. They were sent from various locations but all signed the same way." Ishizu shook her head, "But other than that I wasn't able to learn much."  
Tenten stretched, "Well we can narrow the list of suspects down a bit. Our guy is psychotic and cruel with a pretty big sadistic side. He Neji," she grinned, "Reckon it's Gaara behind it all?" Neji narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "Oh come on Neji it was a joke. Geeze lighten up would ya? You can be such a mope." she stared up at the sky as they continued walking. She glanced up at the sound of footsteps to see a distraught Téa and Sakura running up to them.  
"Guys you've gotta come quick! Yugi was targeted already! He's been challenged to a Shadow Duel!" Ryo, Malik, and Ishizu both hissed and sprinted off with the three shinobi not far behind.  
"Sakura, what is a Shadow Duel?" Neji rapped.  
"From what Téa told me it's a duel of body and mind. The winner gets everything; cards, chips, secrets the works. The loser on the other hand is forced from the material word, reality, into the Shadow Realm where they wander for eternity unless they have the will and power to drag themselves out. But even then it's difficult and destroying. Every moment you're in there, you lose more and more hope," the cherry blossom recited, "Téa's been there before and said it was the scariest thing she's ever been through. She's worried about Yugi and Yami though. They have mastered control over the Realm yes, but since they're two different people...they could split and one of them may never return. IF that were to happen...the entire world could change. Especially when the threat gets the Millennium Puzzle which is one of, if not the most powerful of the Millennium Items."  
Neji's gaze hardened, "Then we should step it up and hurry." he put on a burst of chakra, rocketing forward to the battle area.

They soon arrived at an alley where a crowd had gathered. They shoved their way through and came to the edge of the makeshift arena. They ended up standing next to Kiba, who nodded to them with a grim expression. Neji cast his gaze to Yugi who was standing next to Naruto. They seemed to be having an argument.

"…here to protect you….can help, you've already taught me…..being stubborn!" Naruto's words were hissed. Yugi's face was stony as he turned to face the jinchuuriki.

"No Naruto," his words were quiet but firm. "This is my battle. Not yours. Stay out of this and if something should happen, you protect Téa with your life understood?" Naruto glared, but huffed in response.

"Now wait a minute there boy. If the blonde one wants to join he sure can. We don't have anything against it now, right Danna?" the blonde girl grinned at her bored partner. Her sapphire eyes glinted mischievously. The amber headed girl rolled her caramel eyes.

"Daia, if you'd wanted a doubles duel you could have just asked. Idiot." The girl muttered as she powered up her disk. Daia pouted.

"Ne, Kiyoko that wasn't very nice. Why are you so cruel to me Danna?" the melodramatic girl sighed wistfully, "No matter. You'll stop being a grouch when these two are in the shadow realm, ne." She smiled in a feral manner. Naruto stared at her harshly. His gaze flickered to Yugi, who merely stared before releasing a sigh and nodding. Naruto's blank face became a proud smirk.

"Finally some action." He cracked his knuckles as his own dueling disk powered up. "Let's see how I fare against a bunch of experienced veterans shall we?"

Sakura called from the crowd, "Naruto! What are you doing! Don't you know what's at risk?" Everyone watched the blonde man with whisker marks turn to the pinkette.

His face was stern as he answered, "Yeah I do. But Sakura, how can I protect these people if I don't even try. Besides, I'm going to win this thing. You better BELIEVE IT!" he threw out his peace sign as her worried frown cracked into a smile. He turned to the other duelists who were all waiting on him.

"You done now boy? Good then let's blow this place up!" Daia shouted. The four of them stood on divided lines watching with smirks on their faces. They all waited as their life points filled up before they uttered the words that could make or break their lives in this world.

"LET'S DUEL!"

_**Ok, I know this took me forever to get out and I just have one thing to say: I'M SO SORRY! I should've gotten this out a long time ago…but next chapter will be up in no more than 2 weeks! PROMISE!**_

_***phew* now that the rant is over… this chapter goes out to naru-chan92 who got on my case for not updating; narutoshamanking, Ccebling, and Anime L for the encouragement; and to everyone who added my stories as favorites or alerts. You guys give me reason to write! Thank you so much!**_

_**Ok well that's it! You guys know the drill so Read and Review! Critiques are always welcome as are flames if that's what you wish. But please, if you're going to flame GIVE ME A LEGITIMATE REASON! Thanks again!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Kaiba stood at the window of his office, looking over the city lights. He noticed out of the corner of his eye Sasuke standing with closed eyes in the corner. He turned to face him with a quizzical glance.

"Might I inquire as to what you're doing? You look like a statue," he commented.

"It's called meditating, not that a fool like you would understand. It allows me to better scan the premises for unwanted guests. As well as keep tabs on the other protectors…and it seems we have a situation."

Kaiba quirked an eyebrow, "What sort of situation?"

Sasuke smirked and sighed, "The dobe got himself in a duel." He turned to look at his charge, "A double shadow duel…with Yugi as his partner."

Kaiba was already heading toward the duel, muttering under his breath. "Are you coming or not?"

"I do believe I'm ahead of you." Kaiba cursed and took off after the fleeing wraith man, cursing Yugi and praying he'd still be there when Kaiba arrived.

Naruto winced and let out a muttered curse as more of his life points dropped. He locked eyes with the blonde opponent, Daia and glared at her. Her right eye winked at him and she smirked back at him.

"Your turn, tu. Not that it matters. You'll just lose, ne." she looked so proud that Naruto couldn't help but be bugged.

"Bring it Miss Priss! You don't stand a chance!" he quickly drew a card from his deck. Looking at it he smirked.

**"Well that could help us immensely…Yugi already has that fusion card in his hand. And if you bring back **_**Buster Blader**_** you could fuse it with Yugi's **_**Dark Magician-" **_Kyuubi whispered.

"And summon Dark Paladin. That'd crush Daia, since she is using all dragon cards…but how about you do it?" Naruto responded. A sinister smile grew on his lips as he and Kyuubi agreed upon it. The bright light that burst forth shocked Daia and Kiyoko. The appearance of someone who wasn't the blonde they'd been facing irritated the two duelists.

The red-head growled, "What are you playing at you idiot?"

Yugi quickly noticed Yami paying better attention and sighed, "I take it you wish to jump in the fray?"

Yami grinned in Yugi's mind, "You know me so well." Another bright flash erupted and now both alter egos stood before the dumbfounded opposing duelists.

Daia turned to look at her partner, "Why do I get the strange feeling this isn't going as planned Danna?"

Kiyoko snorted, "Because it isn't nitwit." She ignored her partner's cries of outrage, instead choosing to focus on the smirking blonde who had replaced Naruto. The man smirked even wider before throwing down his card.

"I activate the spell card _Monster Reborn_ and call back _Buster Blader! _I activate the spell card my partner laid out _Fusion Summon, _and bring forth _Dark Paladin!_"

Kiyoko's eyes went wide and she immediately began hissing into the communicator on her wrist, "Code Green, Code Green! Emergency situation! Get us out of here now! Abort, abort!"

"Danna, what's going on? Why are you calling us out? It's just getting good!" Daia whined. She reeled back slightly at the sight of her livid partner growling at her.

"I'm pulling us out because thanks to all your dragon-type cards, we could get sent to the Shadow Realm! _Dark Paladin_ has a special effect that allows it and extra 500 ATK points for every dragon-type monster on the field! Meaning he can decimate us immediately! I've been to the Shadow Realm once and refuse to do it again! Abort the mission NOW!" The blonde girl felt her eyes widen as she quickly made the calculations in her head, before smashing the Shadow Realm game. The deep purple abyss surrounding the duelists faded as a chopper appeared above the glaring females.

"Don't think this is over tu. You will go down, ne." Her accent seemed heavier with her obvious fear as she and the red-head crawled up the ladder and disappeared from view. Kyuubi and Yami stood watching as the helicopter twisted, revealing two other members they assumed. A slightly blue-tinged girl with flowing navy hair stood next to the door with a strangely creepy smile. But what worried the four men was the appearance of another girl sitting on the legs of the helicopter. Her midnight hair was in a high ponytail, bangs framing her face and partially shielding her eyes that seemed to flicker between crimson and onyx. Naruto and Kyuubi both stiffened as they realized who she was.

"Well," Naruto commented drily as he separated from Kyuubi, "Seems we've met the female Itachi." Kyuubi agreed as they joined Yami and Yugi to walk to their friends.

"Dobe! What happened?" Sasuke came running up to them with an agitated look.

"Ah nothing. Just a little run in with the Ikustaka creeps. Nothing big Sasuke." He laughed at the worried and pissed off look his best friend had. The raven finally relented on his interrogative glare and began walking back to a fuming Sakura, who stood with the rest of the protectors, except Kabuto and his charge. His eyebrow lifted at that observation but quickly settled. He shouldn't be surprised really. The kid was a complete and utter creep; he would know since he lived with him for some years…. He shook his head in disgust. Naruto noticed and grinned, correctly guessing his thoughts.

"Yeah, we were wondering what the heck you were thinking too, teme." His bright grin diffused the sour expression his best friend had and they soon turned to their pink haired friend holding something to her ear.

"Hai shishou. Of course. I'll tell them right away. Uh-huh, that won't be a problem. Yes. Bye shishou." She snapped the cell phone closed and turned to her inquisitive friends with a stern glare. "We have a problem. Akatsuki hasn't been heard from in 3 weeks. Scouts were sent to the hideout in Ame and there was no sign of them. They're gone."

Silence reigned in the small group who remained oblivious to the whispers of confusion rippling through the civilians around them until Ino spoke up. "Well then. This is gonna suck. Might as well have fun before we all die…so let's throw a party!" Immediately everyone scattered muttering excuses as they went. Ino pouted as Mai came up and threw an arm around her shoulder.

"But think of it this way," she smiled, "If we figure out a way to have a little fun with everyone's life without them knowing…" her eyes lit up with a wicked smile to match Ino's.

"Match-making?" At Mai's nod Ino laughed evilly. "I knew you were a person I could get along with!" The two girls walked off, deep in discussion about their plans, both failing to notice the ruby eyes watching them from the shadows.

"Am I to believe that those are the two who will lead us to the goal? It seems rather improbable…" the female looked to her male counterpart who merely nodded.

"Whether they know it or not, those two girls will help us in our goal. So long as Leaders do not figure our other scheme out that it." The two shared a glance before disappearing back into the shadows, where they watched their important people: Just as they always had….

_Ah! I know I'm so terribly, terribly late on this! Having your power cord break right as you finish a chapter completely sucks! But I promise to be better about updating now that summer is here! This chapter is a little random and sporadic but it all feeds into the plot…probably…haha. Anyway, thank you to all the people who are still supporting me! Hope you guys enjoy it! _


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